I was very entertained in last night’s MLS game between LA Galaxy and Sporting KC. It wasn’t a game where one team dominated; though the score may seem that way. It was two teams who fought against each other, both wanting the win. Robbie Keane was back in action after being away with International duty and an injury. It was a good sight, seeing him back on the field along with Dunivant and Franklin. It was a great game, let’s hop to it!

Courtesy Robert More Photography

First half both teams came out physical, it was less than 10 minutes before they both had a chance on goal. Then in the 27th minute Landon Donovan made a brilliant run that opened up Marcelo Sarvas in the box and put LA up 1-0. This ended Sporting KC’s shutout streak at 546 minutes, the 5th longest in MLS history.

Before Landon made the run that scored the goal, he played a ball to Keane that I certified as sexy. It was a classic LD ball, and one that had me almost drooling. It was that pretty. Playing out the rest of the half, LA completely dominated SKC. Even though SKC played in NY on Wednesday, they played the first half with everything they had and made it entertaining.

Second half was a half LA fans have begun to fear. In almost every game this season, LA has given up a late goal which has cost them greatly. But tonight it was a half that LA fans loved. LA once again dominated the run of play, every touch was flawless. Then in the 74th minute, Landon Donovan finally got his first goal of the season. It had me up out of my seat cheering! It was a breakaway that started with Keane, and ended with him being unselfish in the box and giving the ball to Donovan. Thus Donovan put the ball in the back of the net, and he was back in action.

You could tell that the sabbatical Donovan took at the beginning of the year was for the best. Last night he was on point with his play, and seemed to be enjoying every single minute. I’ll admit that I was skeptical about the “sabbatical”, but now I’m glad he took the time he needed and is back better than ever. As the final whistle blew LA had come away with a 2-0 win… and they didn’t give up a goal in the final minutes either! YAY!

LA came together and played a great game tonight. Everything seemed to mesh and all of the players played great. It took LA 13 games last season to accumulate the amount of points they have right now, and it’s only been 6 games. Bravo boys. LA’s next game will be April 27th against Real Salt Lake.

It’s almost time ladies and gents! We’re 2 days away from the 2013 MLS season! To get you geared up for an exciting weekend, it’s time to run through all of the new jerseys some of the MLS teams will be unveiling this season.

Let’s start things off with New York Red Bulls. Our NY writer, Dani has your complete coverage on the night over here.

Red Bulls Primary Jersey

Philadelphia Union decided to “kick it old school” with their new third kits. It’s a slick look that took more than two years to create. You can read more on how they came up with the new look over here.

Union 3rd Jersey

Colorado Rapids took it to a whole new level with their kits. In place of the hoops on their home jersey, the Rapids decided to put the names of their season ticket holders. Interesting, but pretty awesome. The Rapids also decided to pay homage to Colorado by using the state flag colors on their new second kits.

Rapids Home Jersey

Rapids Second Jersey

Houston Dynamo decided to keep things simple and clean. They are keeping the same third kit from last year, and adding the saying “Forever Orange” to their new kits. They also added the Texas state flag and a tape design after their new BBVA stadium.

Dynamo Primary Jersey

Keeping on the track of paying homage to their cities or states, Toronto FC is at the top of the list. With their new designs, the maple leaf stands out and the jersey is crisp and clean. TFC also added the saying “All For One” on the back of their jersey.

TFC Primary Jersey

Montreal Impact kept their jersey the “old style” and stayed traditional with the collar and buttons. It is a throwback style to their very first jersey they had in 1993. You can read more and watch a video over here.

Impact 3rd Jersey

Sporting KC showed off their primary jersey with a new style as they decided to pay tribute to Kansas and Missouri. They also have a new sponsor, Ivy Funds, which dominates most of the jersey with their logo.  SKC’s jersey also has two Sporting logos; one on the front and one on the back. Nice little details that make up a terrific jersey.

SKC Primary Jersey

Seattle Sounders went back to their signature “rave green” in their new Primary jersey. It features the space needle on the left side in a silver tone. For their secondary ones, they went opposite of their bright jersey, with a black one. It features lime green stripes that pop against the black and out of all the new 2013 jerseys, it’s a personal favorite for me.

Seattle Primary Jersey

Seattle Secondary Jersey

Vancouver Whitecaps kept it simple with their new primary kits. The cool white jersey is off set with the navy diagonal stripes. It’s a classic and crisp look. Simple, and to the point!

Whitecaps Primary Jersey

For LA Galaxy’s new second kit, talk about classy. To tie in with the Galaxy theme adidas decided to put the Quasar as apart of the shoulder and bottom detail. You can read my article on LA’s new kit, plus other things over here. 

LA Galaxy 2nd Jersey

Portland Timbers released their new jersey, and the look is crisp and clean. The kits feature the Timbers Army chant on the inside of the collar. Nice little addition to pay tribute to their loyal fans. You can read more on the new kits over here.

Timbers Primary Jersey

Timbers Secondary Jersey

There you have it! Look for the new kits as the teams take the field this weekend, and during the 2013 season. If you want to order any of them you can do so on MLSgear.com.

Don’t forget to follow @AerysSoccer on twitter to keep up with all of the latest news, and game highlights from First Kick!

Red Bull Arena is sold out tonight for RBNY’s potential playoff-clincher against #1 Sporting KC. Photo via newyorkredbulls on Facebook.

We only have two more weekends in MLS and the race to the Cup is at its boiling point.

Three of today’s six matches have major playoff implications in the Eastern Conference, as the Red Bulls, Dynamo and Crew all look to clinch their spots. Sporting KC and Chicago Fire can rest a little more comfortably in their matches with the Red Bulls and Revs, knowing they’re already in. But SKC doesn’t want to relinquish that top spot and the Fire can catch up to them with three points tonight. Can you feel the heat?

The only issue with tonight’s action? It’s all on at the same time! If only MLS had its version of NFL RedZone.

Not only that, but the U.S. Women’s National Team resumes their Olympic Victory Tour at 6:30pm ET with a friendly against Germany, ranked #2 in the world. And as your resident USWNT writer, you know I’m not missing that one. My DVR will be on overdrive. Here’s what I’ll be watching and my predictions:

New York Red Bulls vs Sporting KC. – 7:00pm ET, Red Bull Arena (MSG+ NY)

The Red Bulls are home, in front of a sellout crowd, facing the #1 team in the conference. Win and they’re in. Piece of cake, right?

RBNY spent the season aggressively acquiring new talent — Sebastian Le Toux, Heath Pearce, Tim Cahill – to make sure they’re still standing on December 1. The Red Bulls have only lost 2 games at home this season, so the chances that they pull out 3 points in this one are pretty high. Then again, who was their first home loss to? Oh, right. Sporting KC.

Now, even if they lose, RBNY can still get in with a Crew loss at D.C. United today, but this team doesn’t want to leave their playoff chances in anyone else’s hands, especially their rivals down I-95. If they draw against KC, they can still get in with a Dynamo loss to Philadelphia (not likely) or a draw between the Crew and United.

My pick: Red Bulls 2 – 1 Sporting KC

U.S. Women’s National Team vs Germany - 6:30pm ET, Toyota Park (FOX Soccer Channel)

While the Chicago Fire are on the road at New England, their home turf will be occupied by the two top women’s soccer teams in the world: USA and Germany. Yes, it’s only a friendly and there’s no major international tournament in sight until the 2015 World Cup, but there’s something different about this one. It’s the U.S’s first match in five years without Pia Sundhage at the helm. USWNT Development Director, Jill Ellis, will step in as interim head coach.

But it’s not just about a new head coach. This is the beginning of a new era for the U.S. Women. It’s unlikely that the U.S.’s lower spine, Christie Rampone and Shannon Boxx, will return for the 2015 World Cup. Abby Wambach will be 35. Youth is on the rise. Becky Sauerbrunn will likely anchor the center of the backfield, but the rest of the defense is up for grabs. Will Olympic heroine Carli Lloyd keep her role as the attacking central midfielder, or will Lauren Cheney or even Tobin Heath supplant her? We’re going to see more of Sydney Leroux, for sure. But will Olympic alternate Christen Press get in the fold? This may be a Fan Tribute Tour for their Olympic victory, and in this match we’ll see the familiar faces, but everything is changing.  The competition for 2015 starts now.

My pick: USA 3- 2 GER

Follow @AerysSoccer on Twitter for MLS and U.S. Soccer commentary throughout the weekend. You can also follow me at @dwag29 if you can put up with my during commentary Notre Dame and Chicago Bears football games. 

Another weekend, another full slate of matches to look forward to! Serie A and the Bundesliga are back in action, Premier League continues with Manchester United looking for one of their many strikers to put the ball in the net, and a huge MLS clash awaits Sunday night between Eastern Conference leaders Sporting KC and New York Red Bulls. Today’s DKA focuses on many of the top match previews, and as always at this time of year, more transfer news within EPL.

Serie A

Serie A kicks off a new season today, and Juventus are the clear favorites to repeat as champions. But will they be the same without Alessandro Del Piero? And what other clubs are condenters? Soccer by Ives offers a comprehensive preview of the season ahead.

English Premier League

Manchester United will look to get back to their winning ways against a Dempsey-less Fulham today, but don’t expect it to be “a walkover” for United, writes ESPN’s Mark Payne.

Liverpool meets Manchester City on Sunday and all eyes are on new signing Fabio Borini as Liverpool faces another tough test after their defeat at West Brom last week.

Chelsea signed two new players on Friday, Wigan striker Victor Moses and Marseille full back Cesar Azpilicueta.

Is Scott Sinclair’s switch from Swansea to Manchester City the right move for the young striker? SI’s Georgina Turner looks at his growth from bit player at Chelsea to everyday starter at Swansea and how this move could help him take the next step in his game.

 Major League Soccer

In a match nobody will be telling their grandkids about, Salt Lake and Philly finished with a scoreless draw last night as Real continued to struggle on the road, even with their new 4-1-4-1 formation.

Ignore the first five months. The time is now for F.C. Dallas, who now has hope of grabbing a postseason spot, thanks in large part to the return of  2010 MVP David Ferreira.

Ryan Meara’s season is over, after the rookie Red Bulls goalkeeper had arthroscopic surgery on his left hip yesterday.

The Vancouver Whitecaps’ digital media department has taken the rivalry of the Cascadia Cup clash with Portland to new heights in this video dubbed “Battle of the Hearts.” A must-watch for any MLS fan.

The top two teams in the Eastern Conference meet tomorrow night, with Sporting KC looking to hold their narrow lead atop the standings and extend their three game winning streak. The Red Bulls, who will be without captain and new dad Thierry Henry, look to extend their 2-game streak and return to the top of the conference.

Follow @AerysSoccer on Twitter for more of today’s top news and reactions to the weekend’s matches!

How does San Jose keep pulling out these magical at-the-death goals? We don’t know, but it sure is fun to watch. Unless you’re a Western Conference rival like Seattle, that is.

Stoppage time goals were the name of the game yesterday with three in the Western clashes, though only one carried three points with it. Read on for more news from MLS Saturday, plus more on the next incarnation of a professional women’s soccer league in the U.S.

Major League Soccer

Just when you thought Seattle had San Jose’d San Jose with a 92nd minute goal to salvage a point in the Western Conference, the Earthquakes answered back with a Stephen Lenhart header off a corner kick in the 93rd to defeat the Sounders 2-1. What an absolute gut-wrencher for the Sounders. Look for more on this dramatic comeback win from our Quakes writer, Alyssa Olszewski, later today.

With their three precious points, the Earthquakes put some more room between themselves and Real Salt Lake, who fell to Vancouver by a 2-1 score, with their lone goal coming on a Nat Borchers header in stoppage time.

Sporting KC followed up their U.S. Open Cup title win with a 2-1 victory over D.C. United, pulling KC past the New York Red Bulls atop the Eastern Conference.

Fabian Castillo led FC Dallas to a 3-2 victory over the Rapids with a goal and an assist, to come back from an early deficit.

Colorado would not go out without a fight, though. Jeff Larentowicz joined the action in the 55th minute to bring the Rapids within a goal.

Unfortunately, Larentowicz and his hair was not the only red Colorado saw on the night, as Jaime Castrillon was shown a red card after kicking a downed George John following an attempted tackle. The match’s opening goal scorer was escorted out, and Colorado was forced to play a man down for the final twenty minutes.

Professional Women’s Soccer

Now that the 2012 Olympics are over, and we won’t have another major international tournament for North American women’s soccer for three years, the attention once again turns to professional women’s soccer on this side of the pond. With the demise of WPS, what will happen to top players like Wambach, Sinclair, Solo, Lloyd and Rapinoe? What about young players who aren’t yet at the national level? After much rumor over the last few months, it’s been confirmed that there will be a new pro league starting in Spring 2013, including some familiar, former-WPS teams:

According to a release distributed by Boston Breakers’ communication early Thursday morning, the new, yet to be named league will feature at least eight teams, including three former Women’s Professional Soccer teams: the Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, Sky Blue FC.

They will be joined by a to-be-formed Seattle-based team, one of at least two entrants who will play on the West Coast.

In addition to those four commitments, the new league claims “four other teams are finalizing their participation in the league,” with the league’s organizers “working with United Soccer Leagues (USL) and Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL).”

A new Seattle team that’s not the popular Sounders Women? Tell us more, Equalizer Soccer:

Bill Predmore, the President of POP Agency in Seattle, is the lead owner of a new women’s team that was announced as one of the founding teams.

Predmore acknowledged that details are currently scant due to still ongoing organizational efforts, but he was able to shed some additional light on the new Seattle team. The Sounders Women declined to comment last night on their involvement, but Predmore stated that outreach has happened and a working relationship is not off the table entirely.

“We had a lot of respect for what the Sounders did this year,” he said. “They were a dream team in terms of the team they put together. I have talked to them on if there’s a way we can work together on things, but the result of that is still to be determined. We’re talking with all interested parties.”

Currently Predmore is the sole owner of the new Seattle team, although he expects to have others join the ownership team. If there are no interested parties, however, he is committed regardless. The team itself is still in the beginning stages, although conversations have been held concerning a general manager and other leadership. Predmore expects to start making announcements on that front “in the next few weeks.”

But will top national players and upcoming college stars have enough faith to be part of this new league? What about playing in more financially stable leagues in Europe? Thomas Hofstetter, the president of  Sky Blue FC, weighs in:

“The grass always looks greener, but when they come back they often say it’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” Hofstetter said.

One advantage in Europe, said the German native, is that the soccer federations in Germany, England, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden provide women’s teams (most of which are affiliated with men’s clubs) with financial support.

“There’s nothing from the U.S. federation, nor will there ever be,” he said. “I’m beyond that. It’s not an issue anymore. There is a market for women’s sports in America, but we have to accept that the level of professionalism might not be what we expect.”

Check back for more on Sunday’s MLS matchups, and make sure you’re following us on Twitter at @AerysSoccer for the latest news and commentary. 

MLS

It’s a busy weekend for the MLS and last night was no exception. Today’s big match ia between the NY Red Bulls – Seattle Sounders but first here’s the scores from yesterday!

Crew 0-2 Sporting KC

Rapids 1-2 FC Dallas

SJ Quakes 5-0 RSL

Timbers 3-5 Galaxy

Union 2-1 Impact

New England 0-1 Toronto FC

 FIFA

FIFA is corrupted, who knew!! Today, FIFA president Sepp Blatter suggested that Germany was given the 2006 World Cup through bribery. Blatter stated that during the voting process, someone got up and left the room and that an unnamed football association attempted to bribe him in 1986.

Serie A

Roma have confirmed the signing of Michael Bradley (son of former USMNT coach Bob Bradley) from Chievo  for €3.75 million with a contract good until 2016.

World Football

Ever wonder who made it to the Top 10 Most Expensive Defenders of all time? Goal.com put out their list (which you can read here) of who they think are the most over-paid men standing in the backline.

Good morning everybody! The future of Pep Guardiola is still unsure while Mourinho signs a 4 year extension, also we cover everything international with friendlies beginning before the Euros start. All in this morning’s DKA!

La Liga

With his departure from FC Barcelona, Pep Guardiola is open to job offers from other leagues, more-so offers from Liverpool and Chelsea. Even though Pep stated that he would take a season off to rest, his comeback could be sooner than expected.

“For the next months I have to charge my batteries,” he said. “I will rest and I will wait. I will be ready, if one club wants me, if they seduce me, I will train again.”

With a newly signed four-year contract, Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has said that the club is the perfect challenge for him and his managing career.  Staying until 2016, Mourinho is thinking long-term with Real Madrid:

“I’m delighted to stay on and plan the sporting future of Real Madrid’s first team, and we know we must obviously focus more on the short term and talk little about the distant future.”

Congratulations to FC Barcelona on winning the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao on Friday after a 3-nil victory!

English Premier League

I ask you one thing footy fans. What’s more important, club or country? Just ask Johan Djourou, who was asked by his Switzerland coach to step down from Arsenal FC. Ottmar Hitzfeld has urged Djourou, who has 14 starts in the 2011-2012 campaign, to consider his future with the Gunners if he wants to be a part of the Switzerland NT. Generally, players get called up to the national team by the amount of play time they receive at their clubs. Djourou is barely getting playtime and is by far, Switzerland’s best player. But unfortunately for Djourou, he signed a contract extension, good until 2015.

International Friendlies

With Euro 2012 kicking off in 12 days, a lot of national teams are beginning their international matches in preparation for Euros & the Olympics.

Yesterday Spain beat Serbia 2-0, the US beat Scotland 5-1 (read the recap here!) and England beat Norway 1-0. But for today’s friendlies, France are looking to beat Iceland while Mexico face off against Wales in a match that was postponed.

As June begins, you can follow Aerys Soccer for al your Euro 2012 coverage!

Major League Soccer

Only one match today in MLS with Sporting KC taking on the San Jose Earthquakes at 4:30 pm from the beautiful Livestrong Sporting Park. Stay tuned to a recap post match!

Hello footy fans! Hope your week is off to a good start. Today we have lots to talk about, from MLS triumphs to Champions League anticipation. Plus, check out some sweet highlights from leagues around the world. All that and more, here’s your Daily Kick Around!

Major League Soccer

In a surprising result last night, DC United took down the New York Red Bulls, largely in part to Chris Pontius, who grabbed a hat-trick. If you missed the game, check out the recap here. And definitely check this awesome slo-mo video of all three of Pontius’ goals!

We all know that yes, Sporting KC was finally handed their first loss of the season against the Timbers on Saturday. It’s a little comical that it was a 1-0 loss because of an own goal…one could say that the only team to really beat SKC so far this season has been, well, SKC. But in the grand scheme of things, Sporting is 7-1 on the season, and one of the most popular teams in MLS. But if someone had said that sentence two years ago, you might have called them crazy. Check out how far SKC has come since their rebranding in late 2010.

US Men’s National Team

If you were like me, and watched every game of the USMNT U23s in the Olympic Qualifying tournament–yes, still stings to think about it–you saw rising star Joe Corona. Corona had a great tournament, and is a young US player that will almost certainly have a future with the national team. Want to know more about Joe? Look no further.

Soccer Overseas

The second leg of Champions League semifinal action is coming up soon, with Barcelona taking on Chelsea and Camp Nou, and Bayern must travel to Real Madrid’s home turf. In the first leg, Barca fell to Chelsea, so in order to make the finals, they must win at home. It shouldn’t be a difficult task for the “best team in the world,” but they were also expected to at least draw at Chelsea, and we all know how that turned out.

Real Madrid lost 2-1 to Bayern in the first leg, and are also in a must-win situation at home to reach the finals. While all Bayern has to do to advance is draw, Mario Gomez says the German side will be playing to win. Should be two great matches, I can’t wait!

Even more bad news for Italian striker Giuseppe Rossi. The Villarreal forward had an initial prognosis of six months out of action, but it was reported today that he will need two more surgeries and will be sidelined at least 10 months. Maybe he should consult Stu Holden for tips on staying positive? What an awful setback for Rossi.

Yawwwn. Soccer is so boring. I don’t even know why we bother watching. Let’s see if we can find anything particularly interesting to talk about in Saturday’s slate of MLS and EPL matchups.

L.A. Galaxy came out flat, losing 1-0 to Sporting K.C. at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. Photo via fuckyeahsportingkc.tumblr.com

Major League Soccer

Our Canadian MLS clubs had quite the day, eh? It kicked off with the bitterest of rivalries, the “Canadian derby” as they say, with winless Montreal Impact hosting winless Toronto FC. Toronto was coming off a surprising CONCACAF Champions League run, but fell to the first-year Impact, who picked up their first franchise win with a 2-1 victory:

Sinisa Ubiparipovic, making his first appearance of the season for Montreal, coolly slotted home a shot in the 17th minute and No. 1 overall SuperDraft pick Andrew Wenger doubled the Impact’s lead with his first professional goal in the 81st minute as Montreal (1-4-1, four points) held off a late rally by 10-man TFC.

Toronto (0-4-0, zero points), who were reducted to 10 men when central defender Logan Emory was sent off in the 65th minute, got their consolation goal with two minutes to play on a header by Designated Player Danny Koevermans.

On the other side of the country, the Vancouver Whitecaps were the victims of the San Jose Earthquakes, who once again handed a team their first loss of the season (last week it was the Seattle Sounders who the Quakes reduced to rubble). Even more crazy, however, was how it was done. Not only were the Whitecaps undefeated all season, but they had not conceded a goal. In the 63rd minute of the game, they set an MLS record for consecutive scoreless minutes to start a season at 422. But then, at the 427th minute of the streak, the 68th of the game, Chris Wondolowski ended it with an equalizer. Must’ve been our Midweek Muscles feature this week that brought him some luck. The wheels fell off for Vancouver at that point, and they surrendered two more goals in a matter of 10 minutes – one to Alex Gordon and another to Wondo, to fall 3-1.

Wondering what the secret sauce has been to San Jose’s success this season? Our Quakes writer, Alyssa Olszewski, has the answer.

Sporting Kansas City is also having a mildly interesting season. They improved to 5-0 to start the season, the first MLS team to do so in 14 years, with a 1-0 victory over the stumbling defending MLS Champions, L.A. Galaxy (1-3). Kei Kamara scored the decisive goal on a header at the 40′ mark.

The Galaxy failed to record a shot on goal in a match. Yep, you heard that right. ZERO. And that gives us yet another record!

Sporting KC, which hasn’t allowed a shot on goal in back-to-back 1-0 wins against Chivas USA and the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday, set a new MLS record with 245 consecutive minutes without a shot on goal.

The SKC-LAG game aired live on ESPN, and featured a halftime spotlight on Kamara and his inspiring journey from growing up in war-torn Sierra Leone to reuniting with his mother, after almost ten years apart, in the United States. Don’t read on without watching it.

Here are more scores from Saturday’s matchups:

Columbus Crew 1 – 4 New York Red Bulls

DC United 0 – 0 Seattle Sounders

Real Salt Lake 2 – 0 Colorado Rapids

Portland Timbers 1 – 2 Chivas USA 

English Premier League

Clint Dempsey scored two goals in Fulham’s 3-0 win over Bolton on Saturday, breaking the club record for goals scored by a single player in a season with 15. His 30′ free kick strike was the first free kick goal of his career. You can watch it here. Dempsey now as 21 total goals this season, between Premier League and Champions League appearances. Yeah, Americans really can’t compete in European soccer, can they?

Has Manchester City’s lack of experience when the lights are brightest blown their chance at the Premiership title? The Telegraph’s Gary Lineker argues that Roberto Mancini’s public criticism of his players has led to a divisive atmosphere that’s prevented them from responding to pressure and closing out the season, and that their hot start disguised problems that later have come to haunt them:

When City enjoyed a blistering start, just like Spurs, we were probably sucked into thinking they were better than they actually are.

For a while it seemed they were running away with it, especially while Yaya Touré and David Silva were at their best, but the warning signs were still there. The Champions League performance was a disappointment, offering the first clues that the overall standard of the squad wasn’t as high as it seemed in the Premier League…

What matters isn’t how a player performed earlier in the season, but how they’re coping when the pressure is on, which is why you’d now look to someone such as Wayne Rooney as the most influential player of the season.

U.S.  Women’s National Team

Tickets are now on sale for the U.S. Women’s next friendly, against China at PPL Park, home of the Philadelphia Independence, on Sunday, May 27. It’s Memorial Day weekend, so you have no excuses not to go.

U.S. Soccer has also announced the women’s send-off match before the Olympics, a rematch of the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Final against Canada, which will take place June 30 in Sandy, Utah at Rio Tinto Stadium. Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, April 13, with advance tickets for VISA card-holders on Thursday.

Keep up with us on Twitter at @AerysSoccer throughout Sunday’s matches, and check back here for more game recaps and league roundups.

Canadian rivalry is taught at a young age.

It’s the weekend! For today’s DKA, we’ve got tons for you, from all the matches you’ll wanna catch this weekend, to the new Canadian rivalry in MLS and Newcastle United’s sudden run in EPL. Here’s your Daily Kick Around!

English Premier League

There are many that would be surprised to learn that Newcastle United  are fifth in the Premier League. Yup, that’s right. Their rise on the table is partly thanks to striker Papiss Demba Cisse, who has a total of nine goals. His brace this week help but Newcastle two points behind Tottenham.  Quite the feat!

Here are your list of EPL games this weekend!
Sunderland v. Tottenham
Norwich City v. Everton
Bolton v. Fulham
Chelsea v. Wigan
Liverpool v. Aston Villa
West Brom v. Blackburn
Stoke v. Wolves
Manchester United v. QPR
Arsenal v. Manchester City

Major League Soccer

The L.A. Galaxy have had a rough start to the season. But they’re hoping to turn the swing back in their favor this weekend against Sporting K.C. They’ll have a little help though in the return of captain Landon Donovan. However, they had to leave David Beckham back in LA. We’ll just have to see what having Donovan back can do for the Galaxy.

Everyone loves a good rivalry right? With the inclusion of Montreal in the fold of MLS teams now, it brings one timeless Canadian rivalry to the league: Toronto v. Montreal. Need to brush up on the battle of Canadian teams? Check out this article. And watch the two face off today at noon ET.

Need your MLS fix this weekend? Here’s the matches!
Montreal v. Toronto
Columbus v. New York
Sporting KC v. LA Galaxy
San Jose v. Vancouver
D.C. United v. Seattle
Real Salt Lake v. Colorado
Portland v. Chivas USA

La Liga

I heard an interesting argument yesterday on World Football Daily’s Friday broadcast. The topic was the question of which league in the world is the best, or sporting the best football. Usually you would hear replies of EPL immediately, or the German Bundesliga. However, this season the Spanish La Liga is boasting a pretty damn good season too. Especially with their teams dominating in European competition. The Bleacher Report takes an interesting look at La Liga, with the apt title “La Liga Proving That Spanish Football Is More Than Just a Pretty Face.” What do you think? EPL? La Liga? Bundesliga? Serie A? Let us know!

La Liga isn’t just popular in Spain or throughout Europe. It’s become pretty prominent in other continents as well, including Africa.

Serie A

AC Milan might still be a little shook up over their Champion’s League loss this week against Barcelona. But they will have some good news going into this weekend’s game, as Antonio Cassano, who suffered a stroke on a flight from Rome in October has been cleared fit and available for selection against Fiorentina.

Michael Bradley became the second American ever to score in Serie A as he notched the opening goal in Chievo Verona’s 3-2 win against Catania. Congrats to MB90!!